This invention relates to removable cases for portable electronic devices and, more particularly, to button mechanisms for removable cases.
Portable electronic devices and removable cases for the portable electronic devices are becoming increasingly popular. Examples of portable electronic devices include handheld computers, cellular telephone, media players, and hybrid devices that include the functionality of multiple devices of this type. Removable cases for portable electronic devices have been used for multiple purposes such as protecting the devices from dirt and physical damage and enhancing the physical appearance of the device.
Conventional cases for portable electronic devices have used various structures for providing users with access to buttons on the devices. As one example, holes in the cases have been used to provide users with direct access to buttons on the devices. These holes have occasionally been covered with soft membranes.
In some cases, such as water-resistant cases, sealed structures with a coil-spring-loaded piston in a sealed cylinder have provided users with indirect access to buttons on the devices. With a conventional case of this type, the structures that provide indirect access to buttons on a device are large and are incapable of mimicking the feedback that the buttons of the device would provide if the device were not mounted in the case.
It would therefore be desirable to be able to provide improved button mechanisms for cases for portable electronic devices.